2021-Nov-15
GBA Calls for More Effort to Stop Municipal Sewage Overflows
For more than 14 hours, wastewater overflowed at the Collingwood wastewater treatment facility and was discharged into Georgian Bay without going through the treatment process. The town announced a “full treatment bypass” occurred on Sept. 23, lasting 14.5 hours. There was also a “partial bypass” for 21.5 hours during rainstorms the next week. Read about the incidents here.
The recent sewage overflow in Collingwood into Georgian Bay highlights the need for governments at all levels to work together and apply more resources to the prevention of future sewage overflows. Unlike some other impacts on water quality, such as rising algae blooms that are caused by higher water temperatures, sewage overflows are fully preventable with the application of preventative measures. We need to do better. Read GBA’s letter here.